Dehumidifier



July 6, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 13, 1952 ON mm uh Um MK Nb m T/ M @N 02 d mm sw QM G D E 4 Mo a h 2 8. w

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J. A. GALAZZI July 6, 1954 DEHUMIDIFIER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 13, 1952 w a 6M 5 v k E m. a M o n M wP v a l fi Q7 2 run I 1 a W.

the surface temperature of the evaporator.

Patented July 6, 1954 DEHUMIDIFIER Joseph A. Galazzi, Evansville, Ind., assignor to International Harvester Company, a corporation of New Jersey Application May 13, 1952, Serial No. 287,565

4 Claims.

This invention relates generally to a dehumidifier and more specifically to a refrigeration system having the evaporator and condenser arranged in series with means for circulating air to be dehumidified into contact with said evaporator whereby the air is cooled to its dew point and water is condensed therefrom onto the surfaces of said evaporator, then into contact with said condenser where the heat removed by the evaporator is returned to the air.

This type of dehumidifier is common in the art and is becoming increasingly popular for the dehumidification of basements, closets and other enclosures where cooling of the air is not required. The major portion of the units being manufactured today are designed with the evaporator and fan of such size that the maximum volume of water will be removed from warm and humid air having a dry bulb temperature of approximately 75 F. and a relative humidity of approximately 80%. However, such a unitis not satisfactory for dehumidification of air having a lower dry bulb temperature and a lower relative humidity, for example 65 F. and 55%, since the dew point of this air approaches The rate of dehumidification is a function of the difierence between the dew point and the evaporator surface temperature so that there will be only a small volume of Water condensed from the 65 F. air. The present invention provides a dehumidifier which overcomes this problem.

One object of the present invention is to provide a dehumidifier having a. condenser and evaporator arranged in series with fan means for circulating air to be dehumidified first into contact with said evaporator and then into contact with said condenser. I

Another object of the invention is to provide means for reducing the volume of air passing into contact with said evaporator when vthe ambient temperature is low so that the evaporator surfaces will be maintained at a lower temperature.

Another object of the invention is to provide a by-pass opening through which air may be passed into direct contact with the condenser without contacting the evaporator.

Another object of the invention is to provide a damper for regulating the amount of air flowing through the by-pass opening.

Another object of the invention is to provide a receptacle for collecting the water which condenses on the surfaces of the evaporator.

Another object of the invention is to provide a 2t and a door opening 2| spaced thereabove.

portable dehumidifier which is light in weight and compactly arranged.

Other objects, purposes and characteristic features of the present invention will be in part obvious from the accompanying drawings and in part pointed out as the description of the invention progresses. In describing the invention in detail, reference will be made to the accompanying drawings in which like reference-characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a dehumidifier unit embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the unit shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the unit taken along line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the unit taken along line 44 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, a dehumidifier It is illustrated which comprises an outer casing I 1 having a top wall I2, back wall I3, bottom wall I4, front wall I5 and side walls I6 and I7. Top wall I 2 is provided with an inlet opening I8 with vanes I 9 secured therein for the purpose of directing air into the opening and protecting the interior of the casing I I from foreign objects. Front wall I5 is provided with an outlet opening A screen 22 is secured in outlet opening 20 so that foreign objects will be prevented from entering the opening. Pivotally secured to front wall I5 by hinges 23 is a door 24 which is adapted to close and seal door opening 2I when moved to closed position.

The dehumidifier I0 is provided with a conventional refrigeration system comprising a motor-compressor unit 25, condenser 25 and evaporator 21. The motor-compressor unit 25 is located in the lower portion of the casing I I and is mounted upon a base 28 which is secured to bottom wall I4 by bolts 29. Condenser 26 is secured to bottom wall-i4 by bolts 3 adjacent to outlet opening 20. Evaporator 2'! is horizontally disposed adjacent to inlet opening I8 and is secured to back wall l3 and front wall it by brackets 3 I. The refrigeration system is charged with a suitable refrigerant, and during operation, this refrigerant is compressed by motor-compressor unit 25 and forwarded through conduit 32 to condenser 26. After being cooled and condensed by condenser 26, the refrigerant is conveyed by conduit 33 to restrictor capillary tube 34 through which it is metered into evaporator 21. As the refrigerant passes through the evaporator 21', it is heated and vaporized, after which it is returned through conduit 35 to the motor-compressor unit 25 to complete the cycle.

A grille is positioned below door opening 2! and comprises two spaced-apart bar members 3'! and 38 which have their ends secured to back wall 13 and front wall I5 by brackets 39, and two spaced-apart bar members M! and 41 which ex tend transversely to said bar members 3'! and 38 with the ends thereof secured to side Walls I6 and H by brackets 39. Resting upon grille 36 is a receptacle 42 which is of Such size that it may be moved through door opening 2i. Positioned above receptacle 42 is a funnel-shaped baffle 43 having downturned edge portions 44 which are secured to the vertical walls of the casing l I. An electric motor 35 is positioned between motorcompressor unit 25 and condenser 26 and is secured to bottom wall M by a bracket 46 and bolt 4?. The armature shaft 38 of the motor tends toward the condenser 25 upon which is mounted a propeller type fan ts having the blades thereof pitched to throw air into contact With the condenser 26.

Door .24 is provided with a by-pass opening 50 therethrough with upright channels 5! secured to the inner side thereof adjacent to the edges of the opening. A rectangular shaped damper E2 is slidably secured over the opening 50 with the edges thereof being slidably received by the channels 5!. The upper edge of the damper 52 is provided with an cutturned flange 53 which may be grasped by an operator when the damper is to be moved. Secured to the outer surface of the door by bracket 5 is a thermostat 55 which is connected to a motor device 56 by conduit 51. The motor device 56 is positioned inside casing H and is secured to door 24 by bracket 58. Damper 52 is provided with a projection 59 which is connected to the motor device 55 by a link 59. An increase in ambient temperature would be reflected in the thermostat 55 which causes the motor to close the damper 52. With a decrease in ambient temperature the reverse of this operation will occur and the damper 52 will be moved downwardly to open position by the motor The dehumidifier is small in size and light in weight so that it can be easily carried by one person. When a room is to be dehumidified the motor-compressor unit 25 and fan motor d5 are energized by a suitable power source until the room air has been conditioned to the relative humidity desired. Either manual controls or automatic controls may be provided for controlling the operation of the unit. With motorcom-pressor unit 25 energized, the refrigeration system will be cycling as explained heretofore, and the surface of the evaporator 21 will be maintained at a low temperature whereas the temperature of the condenser 28 will be maintained at a high temperature. Assuming that the room air is warm and moist, thermostat 55 and motor device '55 will operate to hold damper 52 in closed position. Fan 49 will draw room air through inlet'opening i3 and pass it into contact with the cold surfaces of the evaporator 21, whereby the air will be cooled to its dew point and moisture will condense therefrom onto the evaporator 21. The cooled air will then be pulled downwardly through bafiie 43, around receptacle 42, through grille 35 and then forced through condenser 26 by fan 59. As the air flows over the hot surface of the condenser, the heat removed from the air by the evaporator 21 will be 'cator.

returned, and the air will be reheated to substantially the same temperature as the air flowing through inlet opening [8. The water which condenses on the evaporator 27 will drip onto baffle 43 and be directed thereby into receptacle 42. When the receptacle needs to be emptied, door 24 is opened and the receptacle is removed through door opening 21.

As is well known in the art, air having a 10W dry bulb temperature and a low relative humidity has a lower dew point temperature than air having a higher dry bulb temperature and a high relative humidity. If the illustrated dehumidifier It! were operated to dehumidify room air having a 10W dry bulb temperature and a low relative humidity with damper 52 retained in closed position, there would be only a small amount of water condensed from the air since the temperature of the evaporator 21 would not be much lower than the dew point temperature of the air. To correct this, Icy-pass opening 50 is provided in door 24. By opening damper 52, a portion of the air being circulated by fan 49 Will be drawn through open ing 58 and passed into direct contact with the condenser 2-6. Less air will be circulated over the evaporator 2'! so that the temperature of the evaporator will be lowered. There will be a greater difference between the evaporator temperature and the dew point temperature of the air, whereby a larger percentage of the water vapor in the air will be condensed onto the evaporator 21.

The damper 52 may be manually set or automatic means may be supplied for moving the damper as the temperature or relative humidity of the room air changes. In the illustration a thermostat 55 is shown which controls the operation of the motor device in response to temperature changes of the room air. Other means for controlling the motor device 55 could be employed, such as a humidistat or dew point indi- By proper calibration, the motor device 56 will operate to move damper 52 so that the volume of air flowing through lay-pass opening 50 will be regulated in response to the condition of room air whereby the dehumidifier ID will be operating efiiciently at all times.

From the foregoing description, it can be readily seen that a dehumidifier is provided which will operate to remove a maximum quantity of water from room air regardless of the temperature or relative humidity of the air. The unit is compactly arranged and is economical to operate. An ordinary household bucket or pail may be inserted through the door opening for collecting the water which drips from the evaporator. The dehumidifier requires only a small amount of floor space and the outer casing may be designed to blend in attractively with the living quarters of a outlet adjacent the bottom thereof; a refrigerant evaporator located adjacent said inlet; a refrigerant condenser located adjacent said outlet; air-propelling means for circulating room air through said inlet into contact with said evaporator, then into contact with said condenser and out said air outlet; a receptacle supported under said evaporator into which the water that condenses from the room air will drain; and a door provided in said casing through which said receptacle is adapted to be moved; said door being provided with a by-pass opening throughwhich room air is drawn by said air-propelling means and passed directly into contact with said condenser and then forced out said air outlet, said by-pass opening being positioned below the top of said receptacle so that any room air drawn into said by-pass opening is prevented from passing over the surface of any condensate collected into said receptacle.

2. In a dehumidifier; an outer casing having an air inlet adjacent the top thereof and an air outlet adjacent the bottom thereof; a refrigerant evaporator located adjacent said inlet substantial- 1y at the top of said casing; a refrigerant condenser located adjacent said outlet substantially at the bottom of said casing; air-propelling means mounted substantially at the bottom of said casing for circulating room air through said inlet into contact with said evaporator, then into contact with said condenser and out said air outlet; a receptacle supported immediately under said evaporator into which the water that condenses from the room air will drain directly from the surfaces of said evaporator; a door provided in said casing through which said receptacle is adapted to be moved; said door being provided with a by-pass opening through which room air is drawn by said air-propelling means and passed directly into contact with said condenser and then forced out said air outlet; and a damper slidably secured to said door which is adapted to open and close said by-pass opening.

3. In a dehumidifier; an outer casing having an air inlet adjacent the top thereof and an air outlet adjacent the bottom thereof; a refrigerant evaporator located adjacent said inlet; a refrigerant condenser located adjacent said outlet; air-propelling means mounted substantially at the bottom of said casing for circulating room air through said inlet into contact with said evaporator, then into contact with said condenser and out said air outlet; a receptacle supported under said evaporator between said evaporator and said condenser into which the water that condenses from the room air will directly drain; a door provided in said casing through which said receptacle is adapted to be moved; said door being provided with a by-pass opening through which room air is drawn by said air-propelling means-and passed directly into contact with said condenser and then forced out said air outlet ;,a damper slidably secured to said door which is adapted to open and close said by-pass opening; and means for regulating the position of said damper in response to the temperature of said room air.

4. In a dehumidifier, a longitudinally upright casing having an air inlet substantially at the top thereof and an air outlet substantially at the bottom thereof, a refrigerant evaporator mounted within said casing substantially at the top thereof immediately below said air inlet, a refrigerant condenser mounted within said casing substantially at the bottom thereof adjacent to said air outlet, fan means mounted Within said casing substantially at the bottom thereof adjacent to said refrigerant condenser, said fan operating to draw air through said air inlet into contact with said evaporator, into contact with said condenser and out of said air outlet, at condensate receptacle removably mounted within said casing directly below said refrigerant evaporator and above said fan and said condenser, said condensate receptacle adapted to collect any condensate directly flowing from the surfaces of said evaporator, a door pivotally mounted over an opening provided in one vertical wall of said casing between said refrigerant evaporator and said refrigerant condenser and in alignment with said condensate receptacle, whereby said condensate receptacle may be removed and replaced through said door, an adjustable air vent mounted through the surface of said door operable to allow varying quantities of air to be drawn into said casing below the top of said condensate receptacle and into direct contact with said refrigerant condenser, and out of said air outlet.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,196,473 Ploegeer Apr. 9, 1940 2,369,511 Winkler Feb. 13, 1945 2,438,120 Freygang Mar. 23, 1948 

